Stocker Trout Fishing News

Answering the mail to the question, “Why the OPST Commando Head for One-Handed Spey Casting?” The main reason we like the OPST Commando Head is it offers us the ability to fish places where our back cast is clobbered. Like when a tree is behind you and there is no room for an overhead or a side cast. In this case, I demonstrate using a 9′ 5wt Redington Fly Rod lined with a 200 grain OPST Commando Head, 30lbs test Mono Lazar Line, and a Floating Tip. The leader is a knotted tapered leader that runs about 9 feet in length. It’s one that I make as it is much cheaper to tie my own than to buy one. In the video, I show the ease of casting a Roll Cast and a Switch Cast despite the tree behind me! Do check out the video, and let us know why you like the OPST Commando Head! Gear Used Echo Ion Fly Reel 4/5 wt: http://amzn.to/2ql1EhN Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod (9′-4pc-5wt): http://amzn.to/2rENFHu OPST Commando Head (200 grain): http://amzn.to/2zftMuC OPST Lazar Line Running Line: http://amz

Here is the follow-up video showing the underwater footage taken with the GoFish Cam. We used the Micro Fly Rod to catch live bait, then baited the camera rig, and struck out… had multiple strikes including one that broke the line. Compared the picture of the Bass caught last week that went 20″; would say it would have gone the same size, too! Counted fifteen bass in the video; do check our count and let us know if we miscounted! Bass caught last week that went 20 inches! Bass that broke the line yesterday… maybe bigger than last week’s Bass?

Fished the local pond using the Two Piece Micro Fly Rod to catch Sunfish and Bluegill for live bait. Plan was to rig up our GoPro and GoFish Cameras for some underwater action shots of fish lurking in the area. In short order, managed to catch (as well as miss) a fish or two using a simple Midge pattern. Later, switched to a Tenkara fly when I lost the Midge. Fun stuff, fly fishing with the Micro Fly Rod… was hoping for more fun with the underwater cameras. Ended up only using the GoFish Cam. Did not land a fish but did see what was in the pond lurking as well as got a glimpse of the one that got away… a nice Bass that looked like the 20″ one caught last week!

Looks like Catfish and Bluegill like hotdogs. In this round, we took the GoFish CAM to the local pond that has lots of Bluegill and Sunfish and the occasional Bass and Bullhead. The Bluegill acted like Piranhas tearing up the hotdog. But, a Catfish swooped in to take a bite. It was a nice size catfish; it was bigger than my foot!

YouTube Shorts video of a pond fishing trip to the local pond. Brought a GoPro, Hotdogs, and the EmmRod to see what will bite!

Fished the local pond with the TFO 6wt and OPST Commando Head. Started with a Popper Tube Fly and caught a little Bass. Switched to a Damsel Fly Variant and caught Bluegill and another Bass, too! Damsel Fly got beat up but still caught a fish or two despite losing the fishing fly’s tail!

Decided to take the #emmrod and @GoFish Cam to the local pond and see what will bite using hot dogs. Mainly Bluegill and Turtles but did have a pleasant surprise when a Bass went for the hot dog! First time catching a Bass with a hot dog!

This round we are reviewing GoFish Cam underwater video from a recent trip to the local pond. Hope to gain some insight on the fish lurking below! PS: Found the Catfish that was lurking in the video…

Kayak fishing on windy day on Lake Lavon, our local lake. Luckily, the trusty Heritage Featherlite handled the wind and waves well enough that I was able to catch a fish or two! Did make sure to keep my PFD on as things can turn on you without notice. Did get a lot of paddling in going to the Island’s leeward side. That said, the little kayak has not let me down over the years!

After several missed opportunities this past week, finally caught a fish while using the GoFish Cam rig we made. Caught Bluegill using a Guadalupana Fishing Fly on a 4wt Fly Rod, and then used the Bluegill for bait. Caught a nice Bass but did lose a Bass that went for a Bluegill that I was reeling in on the fly rod. Bass went about 20″ in length!  @GoFish Cam  showed there were more than turtles going for my bait, too!

Tasty fish soup recipe that calls for a Filipino soup mix – Tamarind Soup Base Mix, a base ingredient list of garlic, onions, and tomatoes, and then adding hot peppers and greens like Bok Choy, Mustard Greens, or Swiss Chard, and then optional ingredients like Squash or Asian Egg Plant, and then whatever fish you caught…. or can go with meat like Pork instead! Easy, simple, and tasty! Give it a try!

Put in at Lake Lavon’s Lavonia South Ramp for some kayak fishing. Plan was to catch a few fish for a soup recipe – specifically, yellow bass as well as anything else that was legal size! Went with Nightcrawlers and caught a few, then caught a few more bottom bouncing slab and jig rigs! Do check back for the soup recipe and the next day’s trip kayak fishing Clear Lake Park on Lavon!

Live stream update from the Team! Answering the mail about the two-piece micro fly rod. Specifically, how much line does the reel hold. Never measured it; decided to do so live to answer the mail! Do check out the video, and do check back… heading back to the local lake for more kayak fishing!

Bottom bouncing slab and jig rigs set up Sabiki style, managed four fish – a Shad, a Crappie, a Channel Catfish, and a Yellow Bass. Kept the Crappie and Catfish and prepared them for the Catch and Cook by filleting them, seasoning with Garlic Salt, Season Salt, and Black Pepper. After marinating for a couple hours, added a sprinkling of Seasoned Pepper, and then melted butter in oil. Cooked the fillets for 5 to 10 minutes each side, and then served them with Fried Rice and Squash. Tasty!

Live stream update from the Team! No fishing today; had issues with the gear shift on the old Toyota Tacoma. Luckily local auto part store had the part in stock; fixed the issue… not bad for a less than 20 dollar fix! Issue: Hard to shift into second gear, later on fourth gear. Fix: Replace Manual Gear Shift Bushing

Kayak fishing Lake Lavon Saturday morning. Slow bite but did catch four fish using the bottom bouncing technique. Did keep two fish for a catch and cook video!